NY man planned to bomb National Mall on Election Day

A 56-year-old Rockland County man was apprehended during an Federal Bureau of Investigation raid Wednesday after allegedly plotting to blow himself up with a 200-pound bomb on Election Day at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

They said Rosenfeld is a proponent of "sortition", an ancient political system in which government officials are randomly selected.

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Officials said he planned to use the bomb to kill himself and gain attention for a political belief called sortition, in which politicians are chosen at random for office instead of being elected.

Court documents say Rosenfeld admitted to building a bomb in his basement with explosive black powder ordered over the Internet.

Rosenfeld then took the black powder to his home NY, constructed smaller explosive devices and conducted test detonations, according to the criminal complaint.

Rosenfeld was said to have sent letters and text messages to a Pennsylvania reporter in August and September detailing his deadly plot, which was thwarted when the reported alerted the authorities.

He stated, among other things, that he used approximately eight pounds of black powder to construct a large explosive device in the basement of the Residence, and that he installed certain components in the explosive device to ensure that he was killed in the blast.

Rosenfeld was pulled over while driving, and in an interview with law enforcement agents, he admitted to purchasing black powder online, transporting it to his house in NY from New Jersey and constructing an explosive device in his basement, the news release said.

He also said he has previously built smaller explosives to test the devices, according to the release.

Officials say there is no danger or threat to the public.

Paul Rosenfeld, 56, of Tappan, was charged Wednesday with unlawfully manufacturing a destructive device and one count of bringing explosives across state lines.

"Had he been successful, Rosenfeld's alleged plot could have claimed the lives of innocent bystanders and caused untold destruction", Sweeney said in the statement.

He appeared before a magistrate at a federal courthouse in White Plains, New York, on Wednesday afternoon.